CEiMB: Chicken Chili

Is there anything better on a cold night than a big bowl of chili? I think not. Warm and hearty with a bit of heat to help send the shivers away. When I think of chili, I think of a traditional tomato-based chili, but this dish was adapted from a white chicken chili recipe from Ellie Krieger. As the temperatures dropped, I knew this recipe, chosen for CEiMB by Lesley of Lethally Delicious, would be perfect.

The original recipe called for cannelini beans and hominy, both of which keep the theme of the dish white, but since I had regular kidney beans and yellow corn on hand, that’s what I used resulting in a not-white chicken chili :) My other modification was based on availability as I was shopping for this recipe just before we got a huge (by Atlanta standards) snow storm. The options still available at the grocery store were quite limited, and I ended up using bell peppers in place of the poblanos. However, I wanted to replace some of the spice that would be lost in this substitution so I added in red pepper flakes.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it was my substitutions or just this recipe in general but this chili recipe fell a little flat for me. I tend to prefer my chili to be chunky and thick while this version was rather soupy. I ended up using a slotted spoon to serve it with so that it wouldn’t be quite so brothy, but I’m afraid this caused us to lose some of the flavor. Overall, it just didn’t pack the punch I normally like my chili to have, but it was OK.

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, celery, bell peppers, crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink about 2 minutes. Add the beans, broth and oregano. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.

Add the corn. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and more cayenne pepper to taste, and continue cooking, partially covered, 10 minutes longer. Ladle into individual bowls. Garnish with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, cilantro, and a lime wedge, if desired.

Yields 4 servings, approximately 2 cups each.
Modified from Ellie Krieger’s While Chili Recipe which appears in “So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week” on p. 189